


Sparks Between Us

by 0ThatFanGirl0



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Awkward Sexual Situations, Blood, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Blood and Violence, DBD, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Dead by Daylight fan fic, Desk Sex, Doctor/Nurse, Doctor/Patient, Dreams & Nightmares, Durse, F/M, Gentle Kissing, Gentle Sex, Good Writing, Hallowed Catalyst, Hallowed blight, Height Differences, Herman has delusions of being a real doctor, I Ship It, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I have big plans for these two, Improv, I’m writing this as I go, Light Dom/sub, Male Solo, Massages, Masturbation, Masturbation in bedroom, Medical Device, Medical Examination, Medical Experimentation, Medical Inaccuracies, Medical Play, Medical Procedures, Medical Torture, Medications, Mental Instability, Multi Chapter, Nipple Licking, Nipple Play, Non-Consensual Kissing, Non-Consensual Touching, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Torture, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Power Imbalance, Project Awakening, Psychological Trauma, Resolved Sexual Tension, Sally just wants to help him out, Serious Injuries, Sexual Content, Sexual Humor, Sexual Tension, Sexual thoughts, Size Difference, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Slow Updates, The Durse Fic, They both have Entity Issues, They don’t know what iPhones are, Tie Kink, Typical Herman Carter, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Violence, What Have I Done, back massages, breath play, inaccurate medical procedures, seriously, trust me - Freeform, what else should i add?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:55:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22528966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0ThatFanGirl0/pseuds/0ThatFanGirl0
Summary: After conducting experiments on the Nurse, both Sally and Herman are exiled out of the Entity's realm. Back in the real world, both killers must adjust as much as they can and rely on each other. What happens though when guidance turns into something more?
Relationships: Herman Carter | The Doctor/Sally Smithson | The Nurse
Comments: 9
Kudos: 21





	1. Escaping the Entity

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea while playing as the Doctor, I thought: “How would both characters adjust to society when they have no knowledge of the modern world? How would both turn to each other in terms of help and guidance?” And volá! This little thingamajig was born! :)

His breathing grows heavier with each step he takes, Carter’s Spark constantly arches all along his exposed skin. Without his weapon, he’d probably seem less of a threat, but no survivor had encountered him without it. Luckily, the Entity had ordered him not to participate in trials as of late, Herman wonders if it has something to do with Sally. Another slam of a locker leaves him satisfied, this was something he had always done whenever there were no survivors. Worrying about other killers in his institute was something new he had to worry about, an entirely new thing he had to add to his list. Now, it seemed like he wasn’t finding anybody and that satisfied him, his hand making a fist as he uncurls it and releases a charge of electricity. 

Walking on out of the room and shaking his head, Herman rounds the corner to head back to the desolate waiting room. Until a small squeak alerts him to turn his head towards the sound, whirling around and making his way down the hall. The soft thud of a locker door being shut near him brings him to another room - rows of chairs, a vending machine, and lockers here. Taking a chance and raising his weapon high above his head, the doctor picks a locker at random and grasps the handle, swinging it open. 

No one to be found here. A shame.

Walking towards another locker at the opposite side of this room, the doctor stands still, staring at the doors a few meters before him. Breathing, soft yet harsh, as if someone is struggling to breathe, the sounds nearly suffocating to his ears as he quietly leans forward. An intake of breath, ragged and sharp, while the expiratory sound is almost a sigh of relief - but not quite. He’s heard of that particular breathing from a certain individual before, his hand shoots out, fingers tightly grasping the handle of the locker as he continues to listen to her. If he could, his smile would widen further, it sounded interesting in a way to him, how they could possibly breathe to begin with troubled him. It wasn’t enough to stop him from not opening the doors though, there stood the one killer he knew that could only be responsible for creating those sounds - albeit completely beyond her control. 

What did catch him off guard though was her outfit, she must’ve been the latest unlucky victim in a recent blight injection. Her entire body was covered in the disgusting stench of substance, his body shakes slightly at the sight of her. Syringes filled and dripping with putrid serum line the end of her weapon, her dress looked as though it had been weaved and melted to her entire frame. Entrails festering with blight, her face completely unrecognizable, Herman wasn’t even sure if that was her face to begin with. Lowering his weapon and staring at her, Herman stands still as a statue, it takes a moment for the nurse to step out of the locker. Leaving behind a small trail of blight, her gasps sounding more painful then usual, she floats on past him, her head lowered. Backing away and turning towards her, he falls in behind and follows her out of the waiting room. 

It’s another desolate hallway, one littered with flickering fluorescent lights, some trash, and dried blood splattered all along the walls. The Doctor reaches out to her through his mind, as Sally floats around a corner with him directly on her heels. 

“What happened to you?”

Clapping his hands in delight and giggling, Herman nearly bumps into her when she opens a door beside them, leaving a dirty trail of blight behind. Of course, she says nothing in return and instead takes a seat at a desk. A nameplate with ‘Herman Carter, M.D.’ inscribed immediately catches his attention, his eyes quickly flitting from her ‘face’ to the bookshelf behind her. Leaning casually against the doorframe, the doctor continues to stare past her, his gaze soon following the wall near the bookshelf and back towards her face. Blight now covering the chair she’s sitting in, Sally places her hands against the desk, her form hunched over, breathing harshly. Letting out a deep sigh, Herman walks on over to her side and rests a hand over her shoulder, looking down at her and smiling wildly. It doesn’t take long for her to stand back up, her back hunched over and neck set at a disgusting angle. 

Meanwhile, Herman has taken some steps back, his hands now placed behind his back, with the apparatus now set back in place, he walks on over towards Sally. His breathing now heavier since he’s replaced the thing back in its original position, the nurse sighs and floats on out of the office.

A few minutes seem to pass and both of them have wandered the halls of the Institute, Herman hiding behind corners and sort of stalking her as she takes the lead, glancing at the small windows that sat within the centers of the doors that lined the walls. The place feels a bit different and yet she utters nothing about it, Herman on the other hand is wondering why the Entity has made some drastic changes to his hospital. It strikes him as an odd move, one that leaves him pondering on why a new power of his has also emerged. A hand shoots out to grab at her forearm, blight sticking to electrified flesh when Herman forcefully pulls the Nurse back, solid muscle meeting her tattered dress. A soft grunt, a syringe catches his attention and he makes a quick swipe at it but Sally is a bit faster. Reacting swiftly, she turns around to face him and shoves him to the filthy linoleum, whirling back around and raising her hand to blink away. 

Screams seem to echo within the Institute’s halls, loud sighs of relief soon follow as Herman gets back up on his feet. Although one wouldn’t truly know for certain, his eyes seemed to widen further beyond their sockets, the metal holding them open is slightly bent and bloodied. Completely disregarding his weapon, he drops it to the floor beside him, it clatters and clangs noisily, a hand raising in a curled fist. Furious sparks of electricity build up to a crescendo until he releases it across the hallway, screams can be heard once more, only these sound a tad bit more painful. Marching out of the hall and around a corridor, Herman makes a fist again, his other hand tightly clutching his Doctor’s coat. Peeled back eyes frantically move as much as the restraints would allow, his ugly smile seems to widen when he spots her down the next hallway. 

Saliva builds up as he closes in on her, grabbing ahold of her hair and pulling her back, her body thuds and her hands desperately claw at him as he drags her away. Herman’s breathing and Carter’s Spark is all she hears, Sally’s feet slide all over the linoleum, unable to try and catch her footing.

“No!”

She screams, hoarse and groggy, it sounds almost inhuman to his ears. 

Ignoring her pleas and cries, his hand holding her hair lifts her up, tugging hard as he sets her down in an examination chair. Static, screams, and a swiveling conundrum of television sets alert her to the Treatment Theatre. A place even from what she can see surrounding her is still and was a place of endless, brutal torture. Hands fight with her own to strap them within stirrups, her ankles are also granted the same treatment, Sally’s foot collides with his stomach before he restrains it. 

A grunt, slightly doubling over, he grips the armrests and leans deathly close to her face. His teeth chatter, incoherent sounds, a struggle for him to speak, so he instead communicates with her by reaching out to her mind.

“The subject seems to be well contained so far. An examination will be conducted before an effective method of treatment can and will be established.”

As a result, more saliva pools out of the corners of his mouth, coating the metal in place, it flows downward and onto the nurse. It’s about as disgusting as the Blight that has covered nearly her entire body, to which she can see that the Doctor has taken notice. With a beyond recognition dress and mangled looking ‘face’, it’s no wonder that he would be curious enough to experiment on her. 

But to what extent? 

She doesn’t want to find out but she has no choice. 

Manic laughter rings in her ears while Herman’s hands gather up some blight, a string of the substance breaks when he pulls it closer to his face to examine it. Moving her hands against the restraints isn’t such a good idea, her skin is already rubbed raw from her movements. Unsurprisingly, the doctor licks the blight, his eyes narrowing slightly at the foul taste. With a few dry coughs, Herman backs away from the wrapping covering her face and walks away for a moment. She watches his form disappear behind a door, the coat flowing softly behind him, his shoes thump against the flooring.

It’s only been a few minutes and her breathing has calmed somewhat, sounding labored, just as Herman returns with a few medical devices. One looking similar to the one that sat upon his head, his hands fumbling to keep them from falling out of his hands. Another device looked just as terrifying, this one looked small in particular. Hands work their way to unwrap the thing hiding her face, tossing the blight soaked bandaging to the floor. Taking advantage of her being restrained, he sets these two over her stomach, her eyes widen in fear. 

Her entrails are exposed, festering blight here entwines with her dress as the Doctor grabs the apparatus and walks over to the opposite side of the chair. Shaking her head and screaming, he clasps a hand over her mouth, her cries muffled as he sets the clamps for her eyes near them. The hand covering her mouth leaves, only to force her eyes open as the clamp is set in place, the same action is repeated for the other eye. As for her mouth, his fingers pull one side of her lips apart, stretching painfully as he shoves the metal in place. Nanoseconds pass and he’s already set the other side of her mouth, her lips peeled back like a banana, straps are clicked into place behind her auburn locks. 

It’s something she expected of him but never thought that he would actually do it. 

A hand covers her mouth, the doctor laughing as he carefully watches her for some sort of reaction. Unable to breathe, her chest quickly rising and falling as tears roll down the sides of her face. The doctor leans close and presses his teeth to her forehead - the closest thing to a kiss, his hand is removed so she can breathe again. Large gasps fall from her lips, her legs feeling uncomfortable as she tries to move them. Walking back over to the end of the chair, Herman stares at her, as if admiring his work, more laughter flows past his stretched lips, the small device in a pocket is shown to the nurse. 

Moving closer as he brings the thing to his face, it expands into a small syringe, completely empty. 

His teeth chatter again, more incoherent sounds spilling out.

“Although the subject isn’t sleep deprived, adrenaline will still be administrated. A sample of this strange substance will be collected soon after.”

Unable to hear him out loud, Sally stares down at her intestines, they burn and are warm to the touch, it’s more pain then she can bear.

Raising a scalpel in his other hand, Herman looms over her and makes a quick incision in the blight, causing it to flow out over his hand and fall to the floor. Screams echo throughout the room, a sheen of sweat covering her face, her hair matted to her forehead. Hearing the whispers, Herman halt’s within his tracks and stands still, as if someone turned off the on switch. It’s as if he’s stood there for some time, only moving once he no longer hears the Entity’s whispers. Sally on the other hand has resorted to whimpering again, each sound gaining volume when Herman stops within inches of her face, he sets the scalpel near her clothed breasts and pushes on the fabric of her chest. 

More tears pour out when he replaces his hand and harshly kneads it, fingers slightly digging into the dress, he grunts when he pulls his hand away, quickly turning his back to her. 

It’s as far as he gets before his body stiffens, falling to his knees and gasping loudly, Sally taking in huge gasps of air. Herman drops to his side, curling up into a ball and wheezing, while the Nurse is once again fighting against her restraints. The room seems to take on a bright glow, the floor beneath the two has cracked and orange light has seeped through. As if the End Game Collapse has begun, the entire building shakes, TVs completely shut down, their glass breaking. The doctor is no longer moving, but Sally pulls and twists her wrists in hopes of getting them out of her bonds. Without much effort, the ceiling crumbles, plaster falling as well as monitors from the room above, all do no damage to the two. 

The chair moves, squeaking loudly in protest against the flooring, she loses consciousness as well. Before her eyes close though, she’s noticed that the electricity surrounding the doctor is no longer there.

The entire world they’ve known goes black...


	2. Lost & Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wandering around a forest and eventually stumbling into Mercy General Hospital, both Herman and Sally deal with their health...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t decide whether this chapter sucks or not.

Eyes immediately snap open, birds and the sounds of nature can be heard, Sally slowly regains consciousness and weakly sits up. 

At first glance, she wonders if she’s dreaming and looks around, her eyes quickly growing to the size of saucers. 

It’s daylight, or more importantly, they’re outdoors.

The blight that had plagued her body is gone, her dress still in tatters and color to her skin is returning. Her hair revitalizes, a deep auburn red, her eyes are no longer sunken and have returned to their natural green. Meanwhile, the doctor hasn’t moved and once she’s given herself enough time to move, she crawls over to him and gently taps his shoulder.

“Herman? Herman, wake up.”

It’s strange, even to her, her own voice sounds raspy and breathless. There’s a faint high pitched sound with each exhale and she has a strong feeling that it isn’t a good sign. Resting her palm over his back, Sally tries her best to gently shake him awake.

“Herman, look where we are! Please wake up.”

A groan, sighs, the cracking of bones can be heard as Sally helps the male to sit up, slumped against the trunk of a tree, a ladybug crawls over his tie and she swiftly swats it away. That however, wakes him up, the apparatus still in place upon his face. Hands reach forward as if to remove the thing but the doctor grabs ahold of her wrists, adamantly shaking his head no at her. It takes him a few seconds before he lets go of her, his hands falling into his lap as he stares up at the blue sky above them. It’s nerve wracking, and he can’t believe that a tear has fallen from his eye, slowly rolling down his cheek. Still aimlessly looking up, Herman places both hands behind the apparatus and casually undoes the thing, grabbing each metallic piece holding his eyes open and pulling them apart. 

As for his mouth, he grunts in pain when he tries to stretch out his mouth further in order to remove it. Dirty and bloodied fingers grasping the pieces and pulling each out of his mouth, it’s very painful because he screams to the cosmos, his jugular vein showing beneath his skin, the Nurse gives him a sympathetic look. Blood drips forth and falls onto his coat, his hands violently shaking as he unsteadily stands to his feet, the apparatus falls to the grass with a tumble. Although he’s bald now, he has a distinct feeling that he used to have hair, he hopes it returns. Standing up and placing a hand back on his shoulder, the nurse whispers something to him, something with hope:

“We’re finally back.”

At least five minutes later...

They’re completely lost and Herman sighs heavily once he sees the same oak tree they’ve probably passed three times now. Conversation has been made but she’s hardly gotten a word out of him as they continue walking.

“We’re lost!”

Sally cries dramatically to the heavens, half serious and half jokingly, she lets her arms flop to her sides on purpose as she lets out a sigh. Stopping within his tracks, Herman turns to face her and makes eye contact, the sclera an unnatural shade of red. Blood around his mouth and eyelids has dried, despite Sally’s attempts to clean it away. For some reason, he’s shoved and pushed her away each time she’s tried to touch him, probably due to some sort of trauma - she’s guessed.

Wind picks up, the stench of spring follows the two as they finally pass something they haven’t seen in ages: A sign.

Not just any sign though, this one had text on it, indicating how far the next city would be.

‘Mapleton, Next exit.’

‘Now that’s weird.’ 

The nurse thinks as she raises a finger to her chin and lightly taps it, briefly wondering if there’s a hospital in this town called ‘Mapleton.’ They’re definitely going to need to visit one - Herman and her conditions need to be properly checked out and he needs to see a doctor. 

A clearing up ahead alerts her attention, she waves at Herman for him to follow. 

“A road! Herman, come here! Quick!”

But he’s just standing there, his shoulders rising and falling with each breath he takes, breath shallow and eyes darting from side to side. She turns back around and walks over to him, forcefully grabbing ahold of his hand and tugging lightly, grunting as she does so, Herman reluctantly moves forward.

“Come on! We have to go to a hospital!”

“NO!”

A gasp, her eyes widen at the first word he’s said since they’ve been back, her mouth forming the shape of a small ‘o’ when he stumbles forward, resting his shaking hands on her thin shoulders.

“I got you. Come on...”

Moving to the side of him, she drapes an arm over the nape of his neck and slowly eases him towards the clearing. 

“We have to get to a hospital, Herman. You need to see a doctor.”

Struggling to form the words, his words catch in his throat and takes on a slightly menacing tone.

“I don’t need a doctor. I am one.”

Coughing, he hunches over, raising his hand to see blood.

“That’s too bad, Doctor Carter. We’re going to a hospital whether you like it or not because I care about your health. You’re throwing up blood, you and I both know that’s never a good sign.”

He sends a glare at her as they step out onto gravel, cars passing by on the other side. They both begin to walk out onto the road but a car honks noisily at them, causing them to jump back and narrowly miss the oncoming vehicle. More coughing, they eventually settle for walking alongside the road, Herman’s hands are bloody. Sally is grateful that she hasn’t heard any whispers, but the same can’t be said for Herman. Deciding to stay close to each other, Sally continues to help him as they walk down the road. 

“We need to hurry. You’re injured and I don’t have the necessary medical care in order to take care of you.”

Coughing again, Herman holds a hand over his mouth, wiping away more blood.

“We’re just going to have to get there as soon as we can, Herman.”

No words are exchanged between the two but she can see the worried look that crosses his face. Moving her arm away and placing her palm over his back, she carefully helps him along. 

“... This is Jane Romero saying good night and remember!”

The audience joins in with her when they shout...

“That’s a wrap!”

“Here’s a new song from Coral’s upcoming new album!”

As Jane walks off stage and the audience cheers her on, the doors to Mercy General Hospital open to allow two particularly eye catching people.

“Somebody help! He’s unconscious! Please!”

As the nurse is grabbing ahold of Herman’s doctor’s coat, he immediately drops to the floor and two medics rush over to him.

“What happened?”

“I -“

“We... He is injured and wasn’t feeling the best when we got here. The Entity decided to get rid of us.”

An incredulous look has the man furrowing his brows at her words.

“Excuse me? The what?”

Sighing heavily, she begins to explain but a noise she’s never heard before alarms her.

“That!”

Sally jumps to her feet, still standing close to the Doctor’s unconscious body, her hair bouncing as she frantically searches for the sound. It terrifies her yet again and she screams loudly.

“What is that?! Do you hear it?!”

“Calm down, it’s just a cell phone.”

“A what?”

Clearly she’s never heard of such a thing but the second person holds her by the shoulders, another set of screams ripple past her lips.

“Ma’am, you need to calm down. You’re skin is pale and I’m going to have to take the necessary precautions if you don’t calm down!”

Raising his voice with that last word, the man looks back and hollers something, while the other has brought over a bed and is getting help with setting Herman on it.

“Get me two CCs of -“

Never having heard of whatever sedative he just said, Sally is frozen to the spot while they wheel Herman away. 

“No! Let me go with him! I’m a nurse! He needs me!”

“Nurse or not, I cannot let you go back there just yet!” 

Sighing heavily, the man lets go of her and scratches the back of his head, eyeing her carefully as she looks around. The sound has stopped long ago but her eyes are widened in absolute fear, her body shaking, she can feel tears begin to well up.

With a shout, she shoves the man away and makes a run for the double doors but a woman catches her arm and tries to administer the sedative. Another yell and Sally hits the woman on the head, getting out of her grasp and pushing the doors open, seeing the doctor being put into a room at the far end of the hall.

“Doctor Carter!”

Hair slightly disheveled and her breathing heavy, she had forgotten about the people behind her and goes colliding onto the floor. The woman and both men are holding her down, while the woman sticks the syringe in the side of Sally’s neck. 

Her world once again, is drawn in shades of black, eyelids feeling too heavy to keep open as she lets out a soft breath.

“We need you to wake up.”

A blurred image of a male with a clipboard is standing beside Herman’s bed. Unbeknownst to him, the cables and wires embedded within his skin had been successfully removed. Major areas where there was heavy scarring had skin grafts, deep scars beneath and above both eyelids, the corners of his mouth also stomach churning. A disgusting purple bruising finished it off with these areas of his face, while his cheeks had also been taken cared of. The doctor can actually feel his heart beat but he wasn’t well and aware at the time.

“Herman Carter? Wake up.”

“Heart rate seems steady, he should be waking up right now. It’s been a week at least.”

Eyelids flutter for a few seconds before both men are staring at blue irises, the sclera now reverted back to its natural shade of white. A deep inhale, an exhale with some coughing and Herman opens his eyes further, both doctors have taken some steps back. One is looking down at his clipboard with a pen while the other is just staring at the male before him. 

“Do you remember what happened to you?”

No response as Herman tries his best to sit up but scowls when he drops back onto the bed.

“Whoa! Not yet. It’ll be awhile before you can leave the hospital.”

‘Hospital?’ 

The doctor thinks, wracking his brain for some possible answers.

‘Is this Crotus Prenn or Léry’s?’

“Am I admitted to Crotus Prenn?”

His voice sounds slow in pace and thick with medication, an IV needle rests beneath the skin in his hand.

“Where?”

“Crotus Prenn Asylum!”

“Herman... we’ve never heard of such a place.”

“What?”

He gasps and can feel his heart racing...

‘Then where is...?’

“Where is the nurse?”

“Oh! She was in your room last night checking your vitals and changing the medication in your hand there.”

Gesturing towards the IV bag, the man glances over at the closed door.

“Where is the nurse?”

“She’s with other patients right now and will see you when she has the time.”

“No! The nurse! Sally Smithson!”

One of them laughs and shakes his head, saying something that even the doctor isn’t sure what he heard.

“How does he not remember his own wife?”

“... _What_?!”


	3. Getting out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Herman quickly hatches a plan to escape, while Sally soon finds herself being questioned.

Another laugh, this one louder as the doctor tries to sit up in bed once again.

“Your wife. Remember?”

Shaking his head no and breathing heavily, the heart monitor going off as he tries to understand what exactly is going on.

“Sally Smithson-Carter? It says here that you two have been married for at least two years.”

Words briefly get caught in his throat as he tries to speak, the heart monitor at a steady beep, the rays of the sun lighting up the room. 

“I’m far too busy of a man to be married. You’ve seriously no idea what profession I’m in.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Then you’ve never seen me work.”

A smirk set upon his face as he begins to explain to the two doctors, but one holds a hand up, signaling for him to stop.

“We don’t need to hear about your job, we’re just here to make sure you’re improving - condition wise.”

“My condition?”

“We have much to discuss about and I would prefer that you be fully aware and alert.”

Two hours later...

Chatting amongst themselves, two doctors who were assigned to watching over both of their newest patients, whispers in the hall by the water cooler. 

“She is being held in solitary confinement right now. When I mentioned using electroconvulsive therapy, I had to call in for help because her hands wrapped around my throat.”

“Considering her condition, I can see why that happened, although I’m uncertain why she lost it when you mentioned that therapy. You’ll find out more soon enough.”

“Of course. By the way, how’s your patient doing so far?”

One of them takes a sip of his water and shakes his head, gulping the ice cold liquid down before speaking. 

“There are areas of his brain with extensive memory loss, his entire face had to be reconstructed basically and strange tubing through his nose also had to be removed.”

Throwing their empty cups away, both begin to part to return to their respective patients, but one says something.

“Wasn’t his heart having problems too?”

“Yes, his nose also sustained some damage.”

Nodding, one of them sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

“The patient is sedated and his brain wave activity is being monitored.”

The Nurse was currently being held in a white room, bounded within a straight jacket, her hair a total mess as the door to the room chimed. Someone with another clipboard walks through, humming a soft lullaby before averting their eyes downward to the crouched, fearful woman.

“Sally Smithson-Carter, age: at least twenty eight, height: five two. Tell me what brought you here.”

No reply as she ensures that her eyes don’t wander anywhere besides the person speaking to her.

“We have ways of gathering information, y’know.”

That eerily sounded like a threat, not to mention extremely unprofessional.

“I’m not married to that man. My husband’s name is Andrew, not Herman.”

The doctor shakes his head and sighs heavily, his hands running through his hair as he speaks up again, clasping the clipboard down by his side. 

Her voice still sounds raspy and thick, the high pitched sound emanating from her throat is no longer there. 

“We’ve taken care of your stridor, that doesn’t mean that you’ll go without occasional wheezing every now and then. You’ll have to use an inhaler.”

“What is that?”

“An inhaler?”

He arches a brow at her question but answers her.

“It’s a device that helps you breathe when you need it the most.”

Still confused, Sally leans back against the wall and looks up, her cheeks dusted with dried tears.

“How is he?”

“I’m not assigned to assess to his condition, you are my patient. Therefore, we have much to discuss.”

Glancing at his papers, he clears his throat and begins, fingers fumbling with his tie.

“Firstly, I’ve taken notice that your memory is less then perfect, there are areas within your brain that seem to be missing certain parts in relation to memory. Nothing else has been affected but I’d take precaution in regards to your psychiatric health. Do you know him at all?”

“Not much.”

Another sigh, this one sounding exasperated and drawn out.

“What  do  you know about him?”

She laughs loudly, rolling her eyes and taking a deep inhale.

“Just that we’re apparently married and have memory loss.”

“Miss Smithson-Carter, I did not ask about the two of you. I asked you about him.”

“Don’t call me that! I don’t know anything about him!”

“I’ll return when you’re ready to be more cooperative.”

Without another word, he turns around and walks on out, while the nurse closes her eyes and thinks about what the two of them are going to do next.

“Stop him! He’s going for the sedatives!”

Several medical personnel clamor to get to Herman, who had woken and escaped his room. With a deranged man in a hospital gown running around the place, the entirety of the hospital staff was on red alert. Scarred hands grab a handful of syringes and are thrown at the people behind him, they barely miss him when he yells and runs straight into an elevator. Pressing a number at random and the ‘close doors’ button, his eyes widen just as the doors close before a nurse can reach him. 

“Sally!”

Feet squeak along the floor as Herman runs out of the elevator and down the hall, nurses and doctors alike are stunned to see a patient on the loose. 

“Hey! Get back here!”

More of them make a mad dash for the man running around, looking side to side to see rooms labeled with patients names. It takes a few minutes, some deep breathing, and sweating behind him before he finally reaches the Ss. ‘Smithson, Sally’ had been typed out on a label next to the door, but a complicated lock and swipe feature prevented him from entering. 

‘There was more than one reason the CIA chose me for Project Awakening.’

Silently chuckling, Herman sprints past the door leading to the nurse and frantically searches for whatever will unlock the door. Something catches his eye: a card with a man’s photo on it. Snatching it up and quickly finding the door again, he furiously swipes it and a chime is heard.

“There he is! He’s entering a patient’s room!”

Clomping shoes make their way near him, he has just enough seconds to grab the bounded woman and push her out of her prison of a room, more personnel follow behind them.

“Don’t let them escape!”

A window up ahead is slightly ajar, both of them are running straight for it but a couple hands grab at them, to which Herman shoves them away.

“Get back!”

Without thinking, both make it to the window and push it open as far as it would allow, Sally jumping first and Herman following soon after. All of the staff gasp and stop running, the expressions on their faces are complete shock and disbelief. 

The grass below greets them and they both scream as they fall, tumbling down and rolling onto the hard ground beneath them, their heads bouncing off of the lawn and they swiftly fall into unconsciousness.

The people shouting at them above is the last thing Herman sees before closing his eyes and taking one last breath.


	4. An Awkward Arrangement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escaping the hospital and venturing into a familiar yet crumbling building, Herman and Sally get into a heated argument but reach an understanding later on. Their friendship grows slightly over a cup of hot tea.

“Ugh!”

Two eyes flick open as the person they belong to groans and sits up, hands shaking as they stagger to their feet, a cough.

“Sally! We have to hurry! C’mon!”

Hands grab ahold of her still bound form, lifting her up on her feet and hurriedly shaking her awake.

“They’re coming!”

With her hair flying in every direction, her eyes are now wide open and her breath is caught within her throat. They both begin to run, just as personnel shout out at them, Herman’s feet pound along the grass as both of them gain speed and sigh.

“I know where we can go!”

Dust and debris fall as the doors open, the hinges creak in protest, two people walk through and make their entrance known.

“Where are we, Sally?”

Wandering into rooms on both sides of the two, Sally’s hand ghosts over a doorknob, turning it and opening a door, it creaks. 

It’s a mess in here, there’s papers thrown about everywhere and they have to sidestep around broken chairs. A desk sits near the center, Sally taking a seat at the pathetic excuse for a chair, she thumbs through scattered documents. One catches her attention as she grabs it to take a look at it closer.

‘Crotus Prenn Asylum.’

From what Herman has told her, she remembers that someone had told him they never heard of the place. So we’re they lying?

“Herman...”

Her voice cracks slightly as she turns around in the old chair to face him, he’s too busy rifting through a filing cabinet and mumbling something to himself, grabbing a dusty file and lifting it out of its hiding spot. More dust flies when he sets the thing on the desk, his fingers gently roam over the manilla envelope, a heavy sigh.

“Look what I found here.”

Handing him the paper she had been staring at, he doesn’t know what to make of it until he sees the name of the desolate place near the top left corner. 

“They lied to me then.”

“You don’t know that for sure though, Doctor.”

“Of course I do!”

He snaps at her, glaring and exhaling heavily as he hands the paper back to her, none of this is starting to make any sense.

“Now see what I found. It’s something that should definitely peak your interest.”

Reaching across from him and grabbing the envelope, Sally opens it up and stares at the few papers that are there. One name in particular stands out above the rest:

Herman Carter

A small paper-clipped black and white photo of him smiling stares out at her, it strikes some suspense into her heart because for some reason, his smile seems malicious and she slams the thing shut before she can look any further. The man beside her jumps and drops to his knees before her, cupping her face within his scarred hands.

“Are you alright? Let me check.”

He says as he carefully checks her over, his eyes meeting hers and nodding once he’s sure that she’s okay. Leaning close, he gently kisses her, hands caress her hair as he does so, Sally gasps and moves back, breaking the contact.

“I’m fine, but I’m also a married woman.”

“Andrew won’t know -“

“Of course he will! He -“

“Andrew is dead.”

Another gasp, she shivers as her hands let the folder drop onto the floor, her hands falling into her lap, staring blankly ahead.

“You’re lying.”

“No... I’m not.”

“Yes you are!”

Tears begin to fall and roll downward, her brows furrowing as she sobs into her hands.

“My husband is still alive! Stop lying to me!”

“I’m not lying to you! The evidence is right here for you to look!”

Shoving the paper he hands her away, Sally stands to her feet and pushes her way past him.

“Just leave me alone. I know you’re lying to me, Doctor.”

That last word is spat out, venom dripping from her lips, a glare is sent his way and he’s left just standing there as she runs out of the office.

“Sally, wait!”

“Don’t come near me! You stay away from me!”

Giving chase, he easily catches up to her, she slows down and begins breathing heavily.

“We have to get your breathing under control. Stop running!”

A hand grabs ahold of her forearm and pulls her back when Herman stops running, her back colliding with his chest and she turns around to look at him, her eyes flash with anger. Clutching a hand over her chest and still breathing hard, Sally falls to her knees but the doctor picks her up and carries her bridal style back into the room she decided to run out of. Whispering to her, he says something, shushing her and moving a few strands of auburn locks behind her ears.

“Calm down. You’re too roused to do anything right now, so the best thing for you to do is to relax. Shh...”

Setting her back down in the chair at the desk, Herman picks up the envelope that fell to the floor earlier and opens it up, he’s met with a old-timey picture of himself. Grabbing the envelope in whole, he tucks it under his arm and helps Sally to stand back up. 

“Come on, we can’t stay here. I know of a place where we can though.” He insists as they walk around the desk.

She protests but he hushes her again as they exit the office and finally, the building. Both of them don’t bother to look back but the question on Sally’s mind still lingers:

‘Why did they lie to him?’

Four hours later...

The day felt like it was dragged out, at least that’s how Herman saw it as the sun sets, orange, pink, and purple hues paint the evening sky. They’re both relaxing on a couch, Sally at one end while Herman sat at the other, in Herman’s apartment. During medical school, he had paid off the place in order to keep it, but it wasn’t easy. Food, transportation, and other expenses usually kept him from enjoying himself. 

A few vases sat on a shelf near the window Herman was currently looking out of, a couple cheap paintings here and there, a small television set, a coffee table, and lamps. The couch wasn’t the most luxurious but it was still very comfortable for the two of them, Sally looks his way and offers a smile.

“I’d like to apologize for the kiss earlier.”

Running a hand down his face, he exhales sharply and shifts his weight to turn towards her, hands resting within his lap as he continues.

“It was completely uncalled for. I -“

Another exhale, eyes immediately flit to her own.

“I haven’t been with a woman for a while. It’s been so long, y’know?”

His words sort of hit her like a brick wall, with his complexion, she was half certain that he would have a difficult time getting  _away_ from women. She had to admit to herself that without the apparatus, he looked quite dashing - handsome even. The thought alone brings heat to her cheeks, a crimson shade as she swiftly looks away once he’s caught her staring at him.

“What?”

“It’s nothing. Really, Herman.”

She scowls softly and furrows her brows in slight disbelief.

‘What would Andrew think?’

Smiling, the doctor stands to his feet and stretches, cracking his knuckles as well, he walks into the kitchen and begins to hum a song.

“Do you want any tea?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

It doesn’t take long before the water is already boiling and two glasses are brought out in a tray, tea and water included.

“Oh, I almost forgot the sugar. Be right back.”

Hopping up from his seat on the couch and rushing back into the kitchen, he grabs a small container and brings it out, eventually setting it down on the tray. Pouring her some water first, Herman equally distributes both water and tea, the same goes for the sugar as well. Stirring it all up and handing her cup to her, he retakes his original spot and sort of raises his glass of tea to her.

“To newfound friendship.”

Sharing smiles and sips of their tea, both drink in silence for the time being, Herman standing back up and offering to take her glass for her. She watches him clean them and place them in cupboards, taking this moment to stand up as well. The sun had already set completely and crickets could be heard near the window.

“I’ll sleep out here, you can have my bed.”

With her mouth forming a small ‘o’, Sally nods awkwardly and sits back down, deciding to lay down completely, she was lucky enough that the couch was far from small. The doctor walks on out of his kitchen and heads into his room to change, emerging a few minutes later in a set of leather pajamas, his glasses on as he makes his way towards her. The nurse laughs and covers a hand over her mouth, her hair bouncing with her movements. 

“I had no idea you wore glasses!”

Scoffing lightheartedly, he shakes his head and chuckles at her comment. 

“There’s much about me that you don’t know.”

“Apparently!”

She falls into a fit of laughter, catching her breath as best as she could when Herman bends down beside her, placing a hand over her shoulder.

“Your breathing, remember?”

Abruptly, she stops and takes the time to wipe away a few tears that had made their way down her cheeks.

“Sorry.”

“I will be out here if you need anything. If anything - even the slightest of problems begin, let me know. Be careful of your breathing, doctors orders.”

Offering a wink and ruffling her hair as if she were a child, he grunts and stands up, leaving the living room behind and turning off the lamp in the corner, coating the room in darkness. His own bedroom is just as dark, until he flips a switch and light illuminates the room just as he had left it before. Papers from the envelope are stacked on a desk in a far corner while his closet doors had been closed and his bed was still neatly made, relishing in the comfort it provides when he sits down.

Moving the covers and bedsheets back, he crosses the room and quickly turns off the light, moonlight shines its way through the only window. Once finished, he reminds himself that he’s not sleeping in here, so he runs back out into the living room and turns the lamp back on. Startled, Sally gasps and sits up, noticing the doctor right away, she brings a hand over her chest and sighs with relief, Herman standing before her.   


“Apologies. I forgot that you’re sleeping in my bedroom.”

Helping her to her feet, he points her in the direction of his room and only lays down on the couch when he hears the satisfying sound of a door closing. Once settled, he rests his head on a pillow and closes his eyes, it had been a long and tiring day for the both of them.

‘What a day it has been.’


	5. A New Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Herman & Sally spend their morning together, and hatch a plan in the process...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been long since an update! I wanted to write a longer chapter. Anyways, I hope you like it! :)

The next morning...

What little sunlight behind some clouds that filters through, a groan and sigh as the person resting on the couch sits up, resting their hand against their forehead. 

“Doctor!”

He jumps when he hears Sally, who walks beside him and hands him a plate of buttered toast and ibuprofen. A glass of water is also handed to him, for which he graciously thanks her for.

“Apologies for startling you, Doctor. I know how common it is to wake up with a headache, so I just thought that I’d have it ready for you.”

Swallowing the pill and taking a drink, he gives her a nod and slightly yawns, setting the plate of toast down on the coffee table.

“Thank you, Sally. I greatly appreciate it.”

“I wouldn’t be a good nurse if I didn’t help you out.”

Gulping down the last of the water, he takes a moment to move onto the toast.

“How did you sleep?”

A smile as he cracks his knuckles and neck, moving over to let her sit down if she wants, she returns the smile and sighs with content, taking a seat beside him. With one arm resting on the armrest and the other hand within her lap, she tells him what happened.

“I slept wonderfully, really.” A giggle from him as she speaks, shaking his head when she quirks a brow in his direction. “I’ve had plenty of comfortable nights in that bed whenever I needed it the most.”

It was true, studying and working until early hours in the morning were a common thing for him during medical school, so it was always welcomed to relax in a comfortable bed. When he was handpicked for a neuroscience program, he remembers having to go undercover - no one in his family or friends were allowed to visit him on the job. Nor were they allowed to know anything about it, the name of the place didn’t escape him either: Léry’s Memorial Institute. Standing up from the couch and stretching, Herman makes a comment about getting dressed and looking over the documents from the file.

“I’ll be out here waiting for you then.”

“Ouch! My back!”

“What is it?”

Sally jumps up from her seat and hurries over to him, her hands touching his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think it was the way I was laying down on the couch, but my back is killing me.”

It wasn’t until now that he took notice the apartment smelled of freshly toasted toast, his smile widens. Moving away from him, Sally tries to make conversation.

“I looked over the papers from that file you took from the building. It’s a dossier of you but the picture I saw before is missing. I have no doubt in my mind that you took the picture for yourself.” 

Sighing, Herman speaks up about it. 

“Yes, I have the picture.”

“I’ve noticed that not everything about you is in that file, there’s some documents missing. You wouldn’t happen to know where they are?Right, doctor?”

“That is a negative, I had no idea. How long have you been studying over them?”

Blushing and looking away with a soft smile, Sally explains herself.

“Awhile I suppose, for an hour at least. I didn’t mess with anything in your bedroom though. I did however, clean some things up.”

Offering an appreciative smile, Herman stands to his feet and makes his way out of the living room.

“I’ll be right back.”

Ten minutes later...

Shoes softly fall against the wood flooring as Herman walks out of his room, and into the bathroom to freshen up.

“You should fix that hair of yours. You’d look so much better, you know?”

Laughing for far too long then he should, the doctor stares at his reflection, dark brown locks are already starting to reappear, he loosens his tie a little bit.

“Very funny, Sally.”

He says with a chuckle as he inspects his face, besides the scarring and bruising, it looks okay. Stepping back and turning off the light, he leaves the bathroom and walks into the kitchen. Grabbing a teabag from one of the cupboards, he prepares a glass of cold tea, quickly stirring in a tiny bit of sugar. After all, he had a reputation to uphold and he plans on keeping it that way. 

“You look sharp, Doctor.”

Spinning around once to show off his choice of attire, Herman sets the glass down and sits on the far end of the couch again. He’s decided to wear a red button-up shirt, a pinstriped vest, black slacks, and brown dress shoes. 

“It’s true, I’m not lying to you.”

‘She’s seems so different compared to yesterday.’

A thought comes to him and it leaves just as quickly when he goes to take a sip of his tea.

‘What documents are missing?’

Instead of pondering any further, he stands back up and rushes into his bedroom, reappearing seconds later with papers and the envelopes in his arms, some of them fall to the floor. 

“I got it.”

Scooping all of them up into his arms, he is careful not to crinkle them as he sets them down on the coffee table, nearly tripping over Sally as he does this, she gasps and makes sure he doesn’t fall to the floor.

“Be careful.”

Sighing and sitting, he turns to give her a smile and grabs a few papers at random, scanning over them rather then looking into the details. Taking the picture out of his pocket, he sets it down on top of everything else, giving it another glance before moving on to pick up a paper at random. 

There are a few blank spaces outlined with black, as if someone took a marker and crossed out certain details. His birth date, age, hair color, height, occupation, and marital status were all blacked out. Arching a brow at all of this and shaking his head no, Herman hands it over to Sally and tries to explain.

“I can’t make sense of it. Why are certain details about me blocked out?”

Instead of using white out, it had looked as though colors had been switched and black out had been used. Her own brows furrow in confusion as she carefully reads over every detail of the document, although she can’t get to a conclusion either, she places the paper back down on the coffee table. While finishing off his tea, he picks up the photo and admires it with a few chuckles, showing it to Sally.

“I don’t look half bad, do I?”

“No, you don’t.”

She didn’t bother to mention that it had looked a bit creepy to her - his smile in the photo made her feel uneasy. Her cheeks quickly heating up at her own comment, clearing her throat and smiling, her hands run down the length of her hair. 

Getting up to turn on the TV, Herman adjusts the channel and volume before sitting back down, giving a small grunt as he does so. A woman on TV, smiles and laughs as she chats with a guest on her show.

“Jane Romero here with the wonderful Coral!”

Cheers and hollering from the audience, both Sally and Herman pay close attention to the show, Herman’s leg resting casually over the other one while Sally sits back against the couch and relaxes. Her eyes settling on the picture, his hair catching her eye, brunette. As the woman on TV begins to strum a guitar, they both take the time to listen to her song, sighing once it’s over.

“Isn’t it wonderful?!”

Another round of cheering from the audience as Jane waves her hand at them with a wide smile.

“I know...”

They all laugh as Jane makes a joke about guitars and Herman’s deep chuckle rumbles within his broad chest, Sally joining in with a few gasping laughs of her own.

“So what can we expect from your new album?”

“Oh! You’ll have to buy it in order to find out!”

More laughter.

“What are we going to do today, doctor?”

“Well…” He turns to face her directly and clears his throat.

“I was hoping to take a closer look at these documents, maybe even travel to Léry’s Memorial Institute.”

‘Léry’s? Why would he want to go there?’

Sally taps her chin and gives a curt nod, also clearing her throat and readjusting a strand of her hair.

“Maybe you could be our next guest? Let me know by sending in a letter or making a call to the number on your screen right now!”

As Jane and the guest shake hands, the audience claps and cheers while end credits begin to roll over the TV screen. Herman gets up, groaning and stretching, his back pops, Sally standing to her feet with a soft gasp.

“Are you alright, doctor?”

“I’m fine, that felt great!”

Walking away and down the hall, he heads into his bedroom and grabs the rest of the documents off of his desk, hands cautiously holding onto the papers without so much as creasing them as he lays them down on the coffee table. The Jane Romero show is over and a commercial is on, but Herman pays no attention to the television. 

“Here they are. I suggest we get started on these and ignore the one we just looked at.”

At least two hours later...

It had only been a minute since Herman had set a file of papers down on top of another manila envelope, his back feeling slightly sore. Noticing his change in posture and shaking her head disapprovingly, Sally stands up and walks behind the couch where his head was resting against the very edge.

“You’re going to have an aching back if you keep that up, doctor.”

Chuckling and sighing afterwards, he sits up straight, her hands resting over his shoulders, causing Herman to practically jump out of his skin.

“Relax, I have the perfect cure.”

They both laugh as she gently massages her hands into his shirt, the black, pinstriped vest getting in the way.

“Doctor, would you kindly remove your vest?”

Breath hitches sharply as he hesitantly stands up, his knees shaking as well once he faces her.

“Are you... sure? There’s something I don’t want you to... see.”

“Herman...” She grabs his forearm and shakes her head, her auburn curls swaying, her eyes locked onto his own.

“It’s alright.”

“No it’s -“

“Just remove your vest. I’m not asking you to remove your shirt, Doctor.”

A heavy exhale and a few seconds pass before he reluctantly takes off his vest. Scars - deep ones, are quite visible through the red fabric of his shirt, his eyes closed as he looks away in shame, another sigh when Sally presses a hand to his chest. 

“Oh... Doctor.”

Tears well up within her eyes but she tries her best to restrain from letting them fall. Her fingers gently trace over a scar over his chest, trailing downward, Herman gasps and grabs ahold of her wrist. 

“Don’t... please.”

Moving her hand away and gesturing for him to sit back down, Herman neatly folds his vest and sets it aside on the couch. Muscles flex as he takes his seat and leans his head back.

“I must say. You’re physique is quite... impressive.”

Eyes flit up toward hers and a smirk appears, Sally can feel the heat rapidly rise to her cheeks.

“Is that all?”

Clearing her throat as her hands resume their position over his shoulders and Herman coughs, she nods. Digging her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, she readjusts her posture and moves to get down on her knees, the carpet below not feeling all that comfortable.

“How’s your back now?”

“It’s better thanks to you.”

Crimson rushes to her cheeks once more, her head shaking away inappropriate thoughts of the two of them.

‘Andrew would be so disappointed! His wife cheating on him! The arrogance!’

Mentally scoffing at herself and furrowing her brows in slight anger, she focuses on nothing more then ensuring that Herman’s back is in perfect condition.

“You shouldn’t be ashamed of that, you know.”

A deep exhale, the shuffling of weight as he pulls away from her and sits up straight, moving near the edge of the couch so that he’s sitting angled and looking back at her. 

“It’s what I’ve done to myself. Before I was taken by the Entity, I had conducted some personal experiments on myself, the apparatus...”

Gesturing towards his face, the bruising and scars prominent whether they were seen with or without light. 

“Everything else was afterwards.”

“Well for as much work as they did to your face, your scars make you look more attractive.”

Sally quickly intervenes, her voice a little high pitched as she speaks.

“If it matters to others.”

Another smile and chuckle as he runs a hand down his shirt, smoothing out the fabric from wrinkles. 

“I know what you mean.”

“Well how are you feeling now?”

Crossing around the couch and over to him, she once again, falls to her knees and places her hands on his lap, over his own as she looks up at him. 

Laying one of his hands over hers, he licks his lips and sighs again. 

“Besides the bruising and scarring? I’m fine.”

Nodding, she clasps her hand with his and squeezes tightly, her knuckles turning white, perspiration causing her forehead to shine within the sunlight.

“That’s good to hear. Hearing what happened to you yesterday terrified me. I wouldn’t know what to do if you weren’t here. I never thanked you for rescuing me though.”

“You’re welcome.”

“We‘ll want to travel to Léry’s soon.”

There was a garage nearby with his car in it, although it was beyond its time, it ran like a charm. 

“Okay.”

Both of them stand to their feet and sigh, heading over to the front door. Sally has decided to stay in her tattered dress besides, she had nothing else to wear. With their shoes put on and the door swung open, they walk on out and Herman locks the door behind them. 

A thought that’s both exciting and terrifying enters Herman’s mind.

‘What are we going to find at Léry’s Memorial Institute?’


	6. An Old Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Herman and Sally confront some terrifying memories, and Herman has a confrontation with his mentor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it took so long for me to write this chapter, still I hope you enjoy it! :D

One hour later

“Now where do we go?”

“I’ll find a way, don’t worry.”

Turning down a road and shaking his head, Herman glances over at Sally and gulps. Her arms crossed over in her lap as she looks out the window, the sun shining through, making her shield her eyes from its rays. They’d been driving out in the country, a few cars pass them as Herman keeps his eyes on the road, feeling strange without his vest on.

“I forgot to put my vest back on.”

For some reason Sally laughs at that, covering a hand over her mouth, her curls bouncing along with her movements. He chuckles at her behavior while he turns a corner again, a few minutes of driving and someone is passing him, a woman with a Bluetooth device in her ear.

“Herman there’s an insect in that woman’s ear!”

“What?”

“It’s in her ear and she’s pressing a finger against it.”

Merging over in the lane ahead of them Herman has no time to take a look at whatever Sally is talking about. The woman ahead of them speeds up, her car becoming nothing but a blur.

“I don’t know what it is that you’re talking about.”

“Nevermind.”

Sighing heavily and licking her lips, Sally stares ahead out the windshield, a bright and sunny day it is. A commercial comes in on the radio and Herman leans forward to turn the volume up, something about the Jane Romero Show.

“And on the next episode of the Jane Romero show, we meet the audacious Doctor Otto Stamper. Who will talk about the latest advancements towards his neuroscience program at Léry’s Memorial Institute. Find out all the details next weekend on Talk TV - your source for talk shows.”

“Jane will be on again next weekend! We should watch her next time, don’t you think Doctor?”

Nodding with confidence and checking his rear view mirror, Herman turns the volume down and switches the station to an all classic piano one, tapping his thumbs against the steering wheel to the beat. 

“Tired of commercials? Is it annoying to hear me more then the music? Do you want to just bash your head directly into your windshield for no apparent reason at all? Well, too bad! We’ve got thirty minutes of commercials and music heading your way on Piano Tunes FM.”

“Oh! Come on now!”

Slapping his hand against the wheel and grunting, the Doctor continues driving, knowing that it’ll be awhile before they get to Léry’s Memorial Institute, Sally chews on her lower lip. 

Angrily changing the station, he finds another classic piano channel and lets out a sigh of relief.

“We can at least listen to this while we drive.”

Three hours later...

Finally. They had made it to Léry’s and were now making their way to the entrance, a couple of doctors stood outside and talked about their day, Sally feels tense for some unknown reason, she turns to look at Herman.

“Are you sure about this, Doctor?”

“Of course. Just follow me.”

Walking into the double door entrance and finding a reception desk seemed easy enough but a man walking out of his office rushes over to the doctor.

“Herman!”

With a smile set on his face and a gleam in his eyes, the man holds out his hand, while Herman glances up at whoever called his name. Taking his hand and offering a handshake, Sally awkwardly stands behind the doctor, nervously looking around the place as personnel, patients, nurses, and medical carts are rushed down various hallways. As far as she can see, the place is as busy as she might expect.

“I’m glad you’re here, we have to talk.”

The nurse goes to follow the two men but Otto whirls around on his heels and holds a hand up for her to stop.

“Alone, please.”

Giving the man a dirty look and scoffing softly, she is taken aback at his words but Herman’s nod in her direction keeps her from lashing out. Whispering low enough to where she can hear him, he says something.

“Stay here for a moment, I’m sure this won’t take long. Just sit right over there while we talk.”

Looking over at a row of chairs sitting against a wall of windows with bars, Sally makes her way over to them and randomly takes a seat, watching the two men disappear into Doctor Stamper’s office.

Otto takes a seat at his desk and clasps both hands together, files are scattered all across the desk, a golden nameplate with ‘Otto Stamper, M.D.’ stares back at Herman as he awkwardly stands in front of the desk.

“Good to see my student again, I have to admit. Project Awakening can’t even begin without you, Doctor.”

One of Herman’s brows quirk in confusion.

‘Student? He is my mentor?’

“Ahh! I forgot that your memory is more then scrambled. The hospital sent me a report of what happened to you there. As for the project, I believe you know what you need to do. Your wife will set no foot within Léry’s for as long as you’re here, Herman. Her presence alone poses a great risk towards the secrecy of the project.”

“You’re telling me that Sally can’t be here at all? But she’s a nurse and she’s keeping a lookout on my condition!”

“Exactly! As for your condition though, you’ll be fine without her and what you need to do right now is start focusing on getting the project started right away.”

“But her breathing needs monitoring!”

“Herman!”

Otto slams his hand down on his desk and glares at the Doctor in front of him, Herman gasps and jumps slightly at the action.

“She will be alright without you!”

“You’re not her, Otto. You don’t know her like I do.”

“Doctor...”

As Otto stands up and makes his way over to Herman, he clasps a hand over a shoulder and lets out a deep sigh.

“We need you here.  I  need you here, at Léry’s. At least think about it before you make your decision to leave her for a while.”

Turning away with a huff and gripping the doorknob, the doctor closes his eyes for a brief moment before speaking.

“Sally needs me too, Otto.”

A woman donning a nurses uniform smiles at Sally as she pushes a cart down the hall, a patient wheeled from one room to another, a doctor barking orders loud enough for everyone to hear. Meanwhile Sally’s thoughts are taken elsewhere as she shifts in her chair a little bit, her hair tucked neatly behind one ear on one side, the other side covering her other ear, she nervously bites her lower lip. There’s something about this place that gives her both an overwhelming and unnerving feeling, but she can’t quite place it as Herman exits Otto’s office and hurries over to her. 

“Let’s go, Sally.”

“How did it go, Doctor?”

“I’ll tell you when we’re back on the road.”

The door to the office opens again and a figure pokes his head out, saying some after Herman as they both make their way to the double doors.

“Think about it, Herman.”

Otto only gets a brief nod in response as the two walk outdoors, eventually leaving Léry’s, one feeling a tad bit unsatisfied as their hands thrum against the steering wheel.

“So what happened back there, Doctor?”

Herman grunts and makes a right turn, the muscles beneath his shirt slightly flexing as he does so, glancing over at Sally.

“He wants me to work for him and says I have to... distance myself from you. If you can believe that.” 

“Not with him though?”

“I don’t believe so but I can’t just leave you by yourself, Sally.”

He gives a shake of his head and sighs.

“We need to monitor your breathing.”

All of a sudden, Herman slams his fist against the steering wheel, hollering at nothing.

“Why didn’t I just do it?!”

“Herman? What’s wrong?” She gasps out with a hand over her chest, her breathing picking up, Herman’s finger tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Wait! Stop!”

A hand flies out towards her and pushes her further into the seat, his hand resting over her chest while Sally looks at him with wide eyes.

“What’s wrong?!”

“No!” Herman grasps the same hand against the side of his head and groans, a flashback overtakes him for a brief moment.

Laughter rings out all around him, heavy breathing, thundering footfalls, and another bout of laughter as if someone told the best joke in the world. Herman is standing within complete darkness and unable to see in front of him until a light above appears, someone slowly makes their presence known. It’s a male who looks to be the same height as him, their face and eyes being forcefully held open by some device, Herman gasps and backs away until he falls to his knees.

“Who are you?”

The man tilts his head in a quizzical manner but doesn’t offer up a reply to his question, and instead walks closer to Herman, electricity dancing along his hands, his breathing sounds excited now. From the way the man’s arms and hands twitch, he can tell there’s something seriously wrong with him, he tries to stand to his feet but a hand shoves him down.

“Do you need help? I’m a doctor.”

Again, no response as the man looms over Herman and bends downward, placing both hands along Herman’s temples. What comes next is a serious of bloodcurdling screams, white and blue flashes of light surround the two, one male laughing loudly while the other has resorted to screaming his lungs out. What few seconds he has left, Herman can see through the flashes where he is, and his heart fatally pounds within his chest, he can smell the stench of his own burnt skin before dying.

He’s back in Léry’s.

“Herman? Are you awake?”

A knock on his bedroom door alerts him to sit up in bed, gasping and clutching a hand to his chest. Wait... he’s shirtless. Had Sally undressed him? He doesn’t remember and his head hurts like hell as he slowly stands to his feet and walks over towards his room to flip the light switch. The door opens and Sally walks on in, causing Herman to leap back in fright and yell. A gasp falls from the Nurse’s lips, her hands wrapped up in gauze.

“What happened to me?”

“Come sit, Doctor.”

Scooting aside and letting Herman sit down near her, she begins to explain what happened to him.

“You blacked out but I was fortunate enough to put your foot on the brake and steer us along the side of the road. Once I did that, I paid close attention to you, your eyes rolled in the back of your head, your breath shuddering, and your heart rate was high.”

“Oh...”

‘What else can I say other then “Oh”?’

Sally gives a sympathetic nod and sighs deeply. 

“Through strength and altruism doctor, I managed to move you over to the other side of the car where I was sitting and drove us back here instead.”

She laughs, her hair tucked behind one ear while the other side covered the other ear.

“Luckily, I’ve no problem finding a place once I’ve visited it.”

Gasping loudly and coughing, she places a hand to her chest and stands up.

“I would suggest you put a shirt on but since this is your humble abode...”

The door squeaks lightly as she shuts it behind her.

“I’ll just wait out here for you.”

Heat rises to her cheeks and she clears her throat once she makes her way down the hall and back into the living room, her dress flowing behind her, the bedroom door opens.

As Herman makes his presence known, his smile returns, warm and welcoming as much as he can make it appear to be, the black vest over a white button up makes him look sharp today. A pocket watch hangs out of the pocket, the chain draped within another small pocket, he sighs as he walks into the kitchen to make some coffee.

“Are you alright, Herman?”

“I am now that you’ve explained what happened to me. I hope that I didn’t startle you too much.”

Sally shakes her head and licks her lips, crossing her legs over one another.

“You did but I kept my composure and did my best on keeping you safe. You were sweating like a dog in a hot summer sun.”

He laughs at that, a series of chuckles that has Sally stuck in a trance, to which he doesn’t notice as he has his back turned towards her. 

Crackling. Deafening screams and static. Her eyes widen to find herself staring up at a ceiling, TVs blaring while giggles become louder and a figure walks into the treatment theatre. 

“Ahh! I see that my patient is awake. Shall we begin? I’m afraid you’re injured dear, but not to worry…”

He laughs again, this time leaning in close to her face and smiling widely, it’s unsettling and she gasps.

“I’m the perfect doctor for the job!”

“Don’t you dare touch me, monster!”

“Ohh! A spirited one! That’s what I adore about you!”

Herman claps his hands together and does a strange dance, while Sally fights against the restraints holding her firmly in place.

“You may have forgotten where you are, that might have something to do with too much anesthetic. However, you are a monster as well.”

He plants a longing kiss to her cheek, uncomfortably lasting more than a few seconds then it should, Sally’s eyes widen in shock.

“I hope you know I’m a married woman!”

She spits out at him and he promptly wipes her saliva away from his chin, laughing louder and louder with each intake of breath.

“That’s no way to treat your doctor, doll.”

“Let me out of here!”

Wailing as tears fall, her breathing becomes labored and beads of sweat roll across her forehead, the doctor continues to laugh. 

Bringing a syringe within her field of view, Sally gasps when he injects some sort of substance within the side of her eye, her shrieks of pain echo throughout the entire treatment theatre. Blood seeps through the small wound but the doctor pays no attention to it, setting the syringe down on a nearby medical cart and examining the wound afterwards.

“Sally?”

He whispers into her ear, causing her to jump back, gritting her teeth.

“Sally?”

Herman lowers his voice, licking his lips.

“Sally!”

This time he shouts into her ear, yelling out at the ceiling above her. The scene changes completely though, and she’s back in Herman’s apartment, him sitting beside her and looking at her with concern. Hands fly to the sides of her head, holding her steady within his palm once she realizes what happened. “You blacked out, your eyes rolled into the back of your head.”

Once again, she has to catch her breath and hold a hand firmly to her chest, her voice shakes as she speaks with caution.

“The Entity isn’t done with us, Herman.”

And she cries hard, something she doesn’t even remember the last time doing, and he holds her within his arms.

“I know.”


	7. Don’t worry!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just an announcement.

Don’t worry! There’s more Durse headed your way! I’m working on the next exciting chapter and you’re not going to believe what happens! Anyways, stay awesome and safe!   
  


The smut will be here before you know it. ;)


	8. HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! :)

Hello everyone and happy Pride month! I hope that everyone is doing well and is safe during these times.   
  


Remember, stay awesome!


	9. The Macmillan Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Herman and Sally decide to head over to a familiar person’s place, only to find it abandoned and run down. Heading into the forest behind the house though gives them a surprise they hadn’t expected...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d like to apologize for this chapter being somewhat short. However, I’ll make it up for some (slight) smut next chapter! 
> 
> Oh, yeah!
> 
> We’re getting there!
> 
> You’ll want to go to the emergency room for the next one! :D

“What are we going to do? We both at least have an idea with what’s been happening to us, doctor.”

Standing up and running her hands through her hair, she lets out an exasperated sigh, pacing across the living room flooring as she racks her brain, tapping a finger to her chin. 

Joining her but not pacing, Herman shakes his head in slight defeat.

“The Entity had a hold on us when we were there. Maybe… Maybe we can somehow block it out?”

“Hmm... yes, we could at least try, plus we won’t know until we try anyway. It would require your complete consent though because we would have to involve some sensory deprivation.” Turning to face her, he sighs deeply, running a hand over his shirt and tie. Sally gulps nervously, stopping her pacing for the moment.

“But what if it doesn’t work, then what will we do?”

“I think I know someone who could help us if we need them. When it comes down to that, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“What?”

Chuckling softly, Herman pats her shoulder, his entire hand encompassing her clothed flesh.

“It means that when we get to that part of the plan, we’ll move further ahead.”

“Oh.”

Both of them just stand there and give uneven sighs, unsure if this plan will work at all, Herman tilts his head and clears his throat. 

“I think we should relax for now though, there’ll be plenty of time for planning  after the Jane Romero Show.”

“Who is the person you’re thinking of asking for help?”

Herman shakes his head and bites his lower lip, hands resting within his lap.

“He’s someone you and I both know.”

As they take their seats respectively on the ends of the couch, Sally and Herman focus their attention on the Jane Romero Show, cheers and applause from the audience. 

“Hello! Thank you! Thank you! Ah, a lot of energy in here! I’m absolutely loving it! You guys are the best!”

Once there’s barely any clapping, Jane continues, Herman scratching at his cheek.

“So today’s guest is Doctor Otto Stamper, who’s the leading neuroscientist at Léry’s Memorial Institute and he’s here to tell us about his new program.”

Quirking a brow and clearing his throat, the doctor pays close attention to what might happen in this episode. Sally exhales deeply and readjusts her hair behind an ear. As Otto walks on out from behind a door, his smile widens once he sees Jane, who hugs him and walks him over to a set of two chairs. Once seated they get right into conversation, wasting no time on getting started.

“There’s much to discuss but so little I can actually tell you. It’s definitely a work in progress, that much is very true.”

A smug expression crosses Otto’s features and for some reason Herman frowns at this, wondering what the doctor could be up to. Whatever it was, he knew damn well it wasn’t genuine and in fact, it may be downright upcoming lies.

“Do you see him? The way he is acting is... ludicrous!”

Quirking a brow in interest, Sally silently admits that Otto is acting... well from what she could tell so far, strange. It mattered not what she thought as she peeks a glance at Herman and listens to him go into a full blown argument with the television, the veins within his neck appearing prominent. She shushes him, bringing a finger to her lips and slightly glaring at him.

“Shh! I’m trying to hear what he has to say, Doctor.”

That mattered not however as Herman stood up and stomped on over to the television, throwing his hands up and arguing with the thing as if it were a real person. A few soft chuckles slip past Sally’s lips but she’s quick to turn away when Herman suddenly turns his attention to her. Arms now crossed over his chest, he lets out an exasperated sigh but soon returns to arguing with the device next to him.

“Doctor!”

Jumping up from her seat and going over to him, Sally’s hands grasps Herman’s forearm, stopping him from hitting the wall mid-swing. Gasping and wide-eyed, he turns to look at her, his hands slowly falling to his sides while Sally calms him down. As the Jane Romero Show drones on in the background Herman makes haste to turn off the TV and make his way back to the couch, with Sally watching over him. One hand covers his forehead as he wracks his brain for an idea on what to do next, the TV show completely out of his mind.

“We need to leave. Now.”

Without so much as an explanation, Herman grabs Sally’s hand and pulls her to the front door, her protests making him stop within his tracks. 

“Herman! We can’t!”

“Why not?”

She pulls away from him but is quick to grab his forearms. Herman looks between both arms, open-mouthed, and speechless.

“Just wait a minute, okay?”

Chuckling softly she lets go of him and backs up, briefly fixing her hair before taking his hand and dragging him out the doorway. The doctor speaks up as she continues to pull him along.

“Forget it. We’re going to see him now.”

“We’re almost there.”

Herman turned a corner on a dirt road and Sally sighs as she continues to stare out the window, her brows furrowing.

“He lives all the way out here? Why?”

Shaking his head and licking his lips, the Doctor stops to allow a family of ducks to cross the road, his eyes seem to sparkle. 

“Something about his father loving solitude and no neighbors. I can attest to that.”

Chortling Herman speeds up a little and lets out another sigh, his knuckles quickly turning white.

“And what about Jane Romero?”

“What about her?”

He quirks a brow in confusion but ensures his eyes stay on the road. 

“Can’t we somehow find her or something?”

“No. Too risky.”

‘What exactly does he mean by that?’

Only about an hour of restlessness had both of them slightly frustrated, the Doctor grumbling like an old man.

Finally what seemed like forever, they eventually made it to a location where ironworks sat in the far distance behind the house. A forest was beyond the ironworks, dark and vacant. The house itself looked to be about a hundred or two years old, not a soul in sight as Herman parks the car and they both get out.

“Where is he?”

Sally holds onto her hair, it’s a little blustery but nothing that she can’t handle.

“I don’t know.”

Both of them walk up the creaking stairs to the front door, Herman leaning forward and raising a fist, giving the door a couple of knocks. 

“Hello? Evan?”

No answer.

“Where could he be?”

Herman ponders while tapping a finger against his chin, the stairs creaking loudly as he descends them with Sally following close behind. They make their way around the house and towards the forest, the Nurse feeling apprehensive, a few birds sing and take flight as they pass them. Once stepping foot into the place, Herman decides to call out again, cupping both hands around his mouth to imitate a megaphone. 

“Evan!”

Sally joins in as well, her auburn hair flying in all directions as the wind picks up.

“Evan! Master Macmillan!”

“What?”

Sally gasps and sets a hand behind her hair, keeping it from flying all over the place.

“His father owned the estate and now he’s supposedly the heir to the estate, and everything that comes with it.”

“And now?”

Herman gives a shrug of the shoulders, bringing two fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“His father is apparently dead.”

Rustling startles the two, both nearly jumping back in fright when a tall figure emerges from behind a thick layer of trees. The man is carrying a snare, dried blood covering his tattered overalls and beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. As he staggers towards them, he falls to his knees once he reaches Herman and desperately grabs a handful of his slacks. His breathing is labored and when they hear him speak for the first time, they’re both shocked to hear what he has to say.

“Help me...”


	10. The Herman Carter Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan and Herman come to a disagreement and the Doctor’s behavior soon takes a dark turn...
> 
> Can Sally bring the two men together in order to work out their disagreements?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for: Attempted rape/non-con later on in the chapter.

“Evan!”

Bending down on one knee and grabbing ahold of Evan’s wrist, Herman grunts as he pries the hand off and away from him. The voice behind the mask is hysterical and delirious, hands flying to rip the thing off and drop it to the ground. 

“You’ve got to help me! Please!”

Both Sally and Herman help Evan to stand, one arm each around his neck, the trap still held tightly within Evan’s hand. It falls to the ground with a heavy thud and both Herman and Sally walks past it with Evan in tow. Once at the back porch Herman reaches out to open the door, it creaks as the door opens to reveal a kitchen. Both struggle to hold Evan under their grip as they carefully bring him inside, blindly wandering further into the home until they find the living room. Victorian furniture everywhere was covered with a sheet of dust, a painting hung over a fireplace, Evan groans loudly once settled in a chair opposite of another. Dust flies around within the atmosphere when he sits down, Sally getting on her knees and scooting over to be in front of Evan. Her hands cup his face, checking for any injuries there before moving onto his arms.

“Herman.”

She looks up, straining as the Doctor looks down at the mention of his name. Sweat lingering over his forehead and hands shaking, he clears his throat and nods. 

“He’s bleeding here and there’s a series of scars around the wound.”

Once again nodding, he hurried off to find a bathroom, hoping that there’s something to be found here. 

“Evan... Did you mutilate your own arm? Did you do this?”

As she examines his arm further she gasps, deep scars, some of them appeared to look fresh whiles others seemed old. His face is full of distress and a hand is resting over his chest as he regains his composure. Sitting up straight but being careful of his arm, Evan growls out when Sally tentatively touches the wound. Hurried footsteps enter the living room and the doctor rushes over to the both of them, first aid kit in tow. It looked vintage, rusted and red with a white and Red Cross within the center. Moving down on his knees and clearing his throat, he gently pushes Sally aside so that she’s standing out of the way, her hands still working to keep some pressure on the wound.As Herman opens up the med kit he takes out gauze and sanitation wipes, a small pack of sutures.

“No gloves, I’ll have to be careful to not cross contaminate. Here, I’ll need your help holding his arm steady.”

Setting the kit down beside him, Herman works diligently to clean the wound while Sally keeps an iron grasp on Evan’s arm. Hisses and soft groans fall from Evan’s lips as his skin is cleaned. The doctor is precise in his movements, wiping away blood and gathering the sutures, his hands fumbling with the needle. As small beads of blood flow to the surface while the sutures are pulled closed, tying off loose ends into a knot and closing the first aid kit. Standing up to his full height and sighing Herman finishes cleaning up Evan’s arm, Sally goes on about being careful not to reopen the wound. 

“Make sure that you don’t lift anything too heavy and keep that clean.” Once again both of them help the trapper stand, each arm supporting him as they carefully walk him out of the living room and upstairs. The stairs creak and groan with each step they take with Evan letting out a deep sigh, Herman speaks up and cuts to the chase about being here.

“We have something to discuss with you. It is of great importance, Evan.” 

As they make their way down the hall, both Herman and Sally take the time to glance at the dusty paintings that line the walls. 

“Can it please wait until I’m relaxed and calm?”

Nodding as the doctor helps Evan into a bedroom and sighing, he carefully helps him to sit on the bed. Dust flies everywhere and all start coughing, Sally’s breathing becoming concerning when Herman lies a hand across her back. Once Evan is all settled he lets out a deep sigh and lets both of them in on what happened to him, a hand pressed against his scarred arm as he speaks.

“I don’t even know where to begin, it seemed like it lasted for a hundred years or more.”

As his fingers trail over the scars he bites his lip and continues.

“I felt like a dog to a master. A beast without order.”

The doctor lets out a puff of air, sitting down on the edge. 

“We too have felt the same way. Although now we’ve been having problems.”

Scratching away at his slowly regrowing hair, Herman clears his throat and looks at Sally who is tucking a strand of hair behind an ear. 

“What sort of problems?”

“Something that has to do with our memories and something that is sinister in nature.”

Turning to face the doctor and lowering his voice so as not to frighten Sally somehow, Evan leans close to Herman.

“The Entity is not finished with you two it seems.”

Everyone had gathered in the kitchen of the estate, Herman leaning with his arms against the counter while Evan tends to washing his hands. Sally let’s out a deep sigh and clears her throat when Evan turns around to look at the both of them.

“Look, you two can’t stay here. It’s... complicated.”

The look that appears over Herman’s face says that he doesn’t quite agree.

“How so? We need your help, Evan.”

“With what?!”

A hand thunderously slams downward over the smooth countertop, a small crack now visible within the surface, Herman jumps. Despite this the doctor keeps calm as he explains away.

“If the Entity isn’t finished with us then your help in this matter may end it. You were there before any of the others, Evan.”

“That’s exactly my point! I’m finally free from its grasp, free from torturous torture! I now carry more scars from both lives of mine more than I care to count!”

Dropping to his knees with a loud thud and covering his face with his hands, Evan sighs deeply.Cries are not heard from him but Sally swears she can see a tear between spaced out fingers. 

“Doctor...”

A hand clasps onto his arm and Herman jumps again, only realizing that it’s Sally.

“It’s different now, we can help each other through this.”

Suddenly Evan stands back up to his full height and glares at the doctor, his voice carrying one of dominance.

“What if the Entity doesn’t stop though? We’re just suppose to assume that if we ‘end’ it somehow then it’ll be gone for good?!”

“Evan!”

Sally hurries on over to him and gently grabs ahold of his wrist, to which he jerks it out of her hold.

“Do not touch me! You’ve no idea what I’ve been through!”

“Listen!”

But the two males ignore her their voices becoming louder over each others, as if one was trying to undermine the other. The nurse sighs heavily and rests her chin within the palm of her hand, setting it upon the counter near the two. 

“Don’t speak to her that way, monster!”

“You’re one to talk, Herman! Everything you’ve done to her in the past! I wouldn’t put it past you if you were doing those things to her now!”

“How dare you!”

“You think I don’t remember what you did to that poor woman?! How many times I’ve heard her screams of pain more than when she was blinking! How her limbs would be covered within her own blood! Her limping and raspy breathing when she’d return from one of your supposed ‘sessions’!” 

It is now Sally’s turn to glare at the doctor. If looks could kill…

“Herman what is he talking about? I’ve been having these strange occurrences where you’ve attacked me.”

“How can you be so sure that it was or was not me though?”

“That’s just it! He looked terrifying! Everything about him was the exact opposite of what you look like.”

Evan intervenes, his hand held to stop Sally from talking.

“Do not doubt your memories, nurse. They are not lying to you.”

The vein within Herman’s neck bulges, his jaw tics tightly and he rolls his hand into a fist.

“What do you know about someone else’s memories to begin with? You can’t even handle your own past!”

A hand flies to connect flesh with Herman’s cheek, stinging and a fiery red in its wake, he clutches a hand and gasps. Stepping forward with a menacing scowl the doctor punches Evan in the abdomen, a loud groan leaving his lips as he slightly hunches over. 

It’ll take more than that to stop him though.

With a growl, Evan grabs ahold of Herman’s head and slams his knee against it, groans and swearing soon fill the kitchen and Sally backs up further. 

“Stop it you two!”

Sally’s protests fall on deaf ears once the two men throw punches at each other.

“You should’ve never left! I wish the Entity killed you where you stood!”

“At least my father actually loved me! You’re nothing short from being a bastard!”

That was crossing a line and Evan made sure to let Herman know it when he repeatedly lands punches to the Doctor’s side, a sickening crack can be heard. Although Herman is hollering out in pain Evan refuses to let up on the barrage of attacks, nails dig and scratch away at skin, a newly busted lip, swollen right eye, blood now covering his shirt. Another sickening crack and a bloodcurdling scream as Herman falls to the floor, his grip on the counter completely gone and Evan leans down on his knees to continue his assault on the Doctor. Sally’s hand shoots out and grabs ahold of Evan’s arm, thick and tense muscles flex beneath her fingers but she tries her best to pull the man off the other. A grunt and Evan stops himself from hurting Herman further, while the doctor is groaning and holding a hand to a bleeding nose. 

“Until you two can act like civilized and respectful people, we’re leaving! Come on, Herman!” 

Without any regards towards his injuries, Sally practically drags the doctor with as much strength as she can muster. Evan sending death glares while he places a hand over his cheek, where Herman had scratched him. An angry Evan calls out to the both of them as Sally helps the doctor back up on his own two feet.

“Don’t return either! You’re no longer welcomed here!”

A cough and grunt as Herman limps out the front door, Sally already opening the driver’s side door.

“Your father should’ve killed you a long time ago! I know I would’ve!”

Footfalls heavy and full of complete malice march on over towards the pained man and, a resonating slap can be heard, a push and swearing follow. Herman stumbles on out of the Macmillan Estate, Landing directly on his backside with a scoff, furrowed brows and dusting himself off as he stands and turns to leave. 

The door to Herman’s bedroom creaks slightly as Sally steps through with a washcloth soaked in hot water, her hands full with dressings and some painkillers. She sure hopes what she’s doing... it’s been a long time since she’s had to treat someone. The man now lying in bed (asleep, no doubt.) stirs and slowly opens his eyes, a groan slipping past his lips and grunt following. Sally bends downward to tend to his nose her hands expertly and gently clean the blood.

“Ah! You’ve got to be more careful!”

The nurse sighs heavily and shakes her head at Herman. 

“He didn’t break it but there is some displaced cartilage, it’ll heal on its own but not without pain.”

Hands fly to try and cover his nose but Sally grips a wrist and scolds him.

“No! You’ll make it worse by messing with it, Herman! I don’t want you to even examine your injuries. I’ll take care of it!”

“None of this would’ve happened if he had just listened to reason! Instead he acts like a feral beast and attacks me!”

His head throbs with each word and he regrets this when he winces and brings a hand to his temple.

“Here...”

She hands him a couple of pills and finishes cleaning up the blood surrounding his nose. A glass of water sits beside the bed on the end table, the Doctor swiftly taking the medicine.

“Good then. That headache should go away soon now if I were you though, I’d get some rest. I’m going to set your ribs, he didn’t break them but he did displace them. You might feel some slight pain but other than that, nothing else.”

Sally gestures for him to lay on his side, his delicate movements causing him pain as he does so. 

“Lay still and don’t dare move.”

She gives him a few seconds then gets to work...

Sweat and tears but mostly sweat covers Herman’s face and Sally lets out a long sigh, finishing tending to his wounds and standing up to her full height. Gathering all of the scraps from opening the sterile medical supplies and draping the washcloth over her arm, she leaves his bedroom. Another sigh and long blink of her eyes has her taking a seat on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

“I don’t understand why they can’t put aside their differences and work together? Why must they act so childish?!”

Rolling her eyes and letting out another sigh she slaps her hand against the couch, regretting it soon after. It isn’t until two hours later when she hears the door to Herman’s bedroom open and she sets her cup of tea down to go check on him.

“Doctor? Are you alright?”

She calls out but gets no answer and heads down the hall and into the open doorway, he’s not in his bed nor is he sitting at his desk. Another door creaks startling her when a hand grasps her throat and squeezes, hard. Her vision immediately blurs and her lungs seem to tighten, her arms flailing to hit him just as his hold on her throat impossibly increases. 

“Let go!”

Sally rasps out, choking and sobbing in between what little breath she can gain, Herman begins to walk backwards with her pressed against hard muscle. He laughs but it’s high almost manic-like she is dragged into his room, his form sitting down in the chair at his desk. She continues to choke and slap at him when he purposely presses his lower half against her backside, his arousal evident when he lightly rocks against her. 

“Stop!”

Through the struggle the doctor bends her over his desk, his breathing heavy and slightly wheezing, Sally managing to grab ahold of his vest and pulling. Nails dig into the fabric when she does this and Herman hisses when small specks of blood reach the surface, his hand falling from her throat. Spinning around as quickly as she can and raising a foot she kicks him hard in the genitals, he stumbles back into a wall and drops to the floor. Hands covering his groin as he finally speaks up, his voice gravelly and rough.

“What?! Why am I on the floor and holding myself within my hands?!”

The nurse bends down and glares at him, her teeth bared like a canine and her hair mussed from the assault. Once she has regained her strength (It surprised her that she had her own strength to breathe again.) she talks with a hand held to her chest.

“What do you mean? You just attacked me, Herman!”

“I can’t recall of ever attacking you.”

Another gasp, a hand swiftly covering her mouth and her eyes widen.

“You mean you don’t remember?”

“No, I don’t.”

Shaking her head in disbelief and moving to sit down beside him, Sally grows concerned that something more sinister could be going on.

“Herman…”

The doctor turns to her.

“There is something wrong and we have to go to Evan about this. Your eyes they…”

But before she can even finish her sentence the doctor has a hand wrapped around her throat once more, he leans in deathly close to her earlobe and whispers harshly. An unnerving smile crossing his lips as he speaks, Sally whimpers, her back pressed firmly against the wall.

“Did you miss me?”


End file.
